Taboo - General Discussion

[Haleth]

Clap, clap, clap!  That was a marvelous ending. I only wish more of the "good guys" had gotten away.  Lorna better be all right and I hope Cholmondeley isn't as crispy as he looks. So sad about Brace being left behind (he is such a lost soul) but yay that Chichester got his testimonies.  Unfortunately with Strange already dead it might not make a difference now. 

[tennisgurl]

That was such a weird, twisty show. After every episode, I was like "So...what did I just watch exactly?" and kind of just starred at my screen for awhile. It was surreal a lot of times, there were millions of conflicted loyalties I needed lists to keep up with, and there may or may not have been magic at some point. However...I really liked this a lot. It was bizarre, but I always felt like, much like James, there was method to its madness.

Tom Hardy is just so great in this. He just commands the screen, and that's really important in a role like this. An actor needs a whole lot of charisma to pull off this part, and Hardy pulled it off 100%. Really, it was a strong cast in general. I never knew how much I needed to hear Jonathan Pryce say fuck so much, but I totally did.

Major blood bath tonight! Offing characters left and right! However, I question if Zilpha is really dead. I've watched enough TV to know that, unless you see a body, the question is always open. And poor Brace. I was so afraid he was going to kill himself when he was sitting at that table, but then when he started petting the dog, he seemed happier, so maybe he will be alright. And Lorna better be alright! She has grown on me a lot this season. She's spunky damn it!

Lots of open plot threads for the next season (whatever plan James has cooking, Chichester getting his testimony, whatever was up with James's mother), and I will be right there, being confused and fascinated.

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

However, I question if Zilpha is really dead. I've watched enough TV to know that, unless you see a body, the question is always open.

This is certainly true, but I think when James was getting images of her (while he was killing Dumbarton) it was implying that she was finally "speaking" to him from the dead.  That was my impression anyway.

[HotRats2112]

13 hours ago, isalicat said:

"We think it has got a two and a three certainly, that’s the plan,” Knight told RadioTimes.com. “After that who knows? This series is eight parts – it’s a lot of time."

I wouldn't mind if this went 8 series long. 

[attica]

I think the dispatch of Zilpha was a bit of lazy writing in a show that was better than that. Welp, we don't know what to do with her, so off into the river she goes! As a character, she was drawn with so little life -- just her awful hubby and James. So when she leaves life, nothing material is altered. Should be a will, or in-laws, or other societal connections to make her situation more integral to the plot.

Hanging up Dumbarton with the red, white, and blue dyes was a swell visual as well as a pointed Fuck You to EIC. Not that it mattered much, with the explodey Sir Stuart, but hey! I like attention to detail! And now that Sir Stuart is in a million pieces, what happens to Chichester's Justice Quest?

Gotta give Hardy points for his crying technique. Not only can he avoid Ugly Crying Face while the drops course poignantly down his cheek, he can talk in a normal voice at the same time. As an Ugly Crier with Choked Throat, I am envious. And how poor Brace could spend the whole ep with his eyes shining with tears but never once spill over? Amazing. Poor Brace. I'm glad you have your doggie. 

My favorite line delivery of the ep was Lorna's sly"I'm his mother!"

[nitrofishblue]

This show has really grown on me. I was a bit confused through the first episodes trying to keep up and understand the plot. It just kept pulling me in every week. This episode had it all; battles and deaths galore. REALLY loved the fighting sequences between Delany's men and the royal government men. So well planned, you knew it took time to put that all together. Hope the next season's writing follows in the footsteps of the first season.

At one point during the first episodes I made a vain attempt to tell the plot to my husband. Had to give up after awhile since I couldn't do it and make any sense. So I have to DVR the show so I can watch it later when my husband is not around.

[fellini]

They never showed who killed Winter and the show didn't have any character development whatsoever. The viewers never learned much about any of the characters on the show.

[OoogleEyes]

I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to next season. Hardy was fantastic. And, thank you all for helping this old broad keep up!

Edited March 2, 2017 by OoogleEyes

[Neurochick]

2 hours ago, fellini said:

They never showed who killed Winter and the show didn't have any character development whatsoever. The viewers never learned much about any of the characters on the show.

Though we never saw who killed Winter, the assumption was someone from EIC.  

I loved the episode, but I'm not sure about the final shoot out.  It felt like I was watching a different show, like someone said, "this show is going to the USA and Americans love their shoot outs and we've got an extra fifteen minutes, let's give them a shoot out."

[raven]

I was a little confused about why Winter was killed.  The assumption was someone from the EIC but why would they?  To turn James's allies against him? How did they know that would work?  It was kind of like the show couldn't figure out a way to get Helga to give up James so they wrote that in.   That, and Zilpha's jump, just kind of happened.  Since James didn't "feel" her being dead, my money's on her being alive.  I was actually expecting her to set up housekeeping with Brace.  Not that I care since the show didn't really give me a reason to care about her.   Aw, Brace - he looked so forlorn when James told him he wasn't going on the ship.  At least he looked happy with the dog.

10 hours ago, attica said:

And now that Sir Stuart is in a million pieces, what happens to Chichester's Justice Quest?

I wondered that too but maybe it's enough to cause trouble for EIC itself?

A lot of the show doesn't stand up to close scrutiny but I really liked it - the atmosphere, bad teeth, Tom Hardy!, I ended up really liking Lorna (if there's a S2, I assume she survives).  I was really worried about most everyone in the shootout; felt kind of badly for the redcoats, who were following orders after all, but damn, getting blown up is messy.  Cholmondeley was sure enjoying himself though; hope he survives.   Godfrey comforting him was kind of sweet.

[attica]

17 hours ago, raven said:

I was a little confused about why Winter was killed.  The assumption was someone from the EIC but why would they? 

It was more than an assumption: the kid with the black-eye makeup told Lorna (and then Helga) that the killer waited for James to pass out in the mud of the foreshore, killed Winter, and then hopped into a carriage with EIC livery markings. As to why, I'm guessing they were attempting to frame him for murder in case another option to jail him didn't present.

[johntfs]

7 hours ago, attica said:

It was more than an assumption: the kid with the black-eye makeup told Lorna (and then Helga) that the killer waited for James to pass out in the mud of the foreshore, killed Winter, and then hopped into a carriage with EIC livery markings. As to why, I'm guessing they were attempting to frame him for murder in case another option to jail him didn't present.

A lot of it depends on whether Dumbarton knew about Helga and/or Winter's relationship with James.  If he did, EIC probably murdered Winter to get the result they initially got (James up for treason by Helga's testimony).  Otherwise figure the plan was to frame James for murder then offer to let him go (by bringing in a witness to testify to James' innocence) in exchange for Nootka.  I tend to think in terms of the latter given the way that Stuart seemed surprised and overjoyed with the ladies' statements.

[raven]

Oh, I missed the part about the murderer getting into a carriage with EIC markings, thanks.

It's really a minor point for me but it just seems overly convoluted on the part of the EIC.   James woke up next to Winter's dead body, no one found them, correct?  I could be forgetting something.  It just seems like James could have hidden the whole thing, and since Strange did seem surprised with the ladies statements about the gunpowder, it came across more as a fortuitous turn for the EIC rather than a planned one.

[johntfs]

On the other hand, never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity.  It really does seem a bit stupid of the EIC to drive one of their own carriages to commit a murder.  Just get another one.  It's not like you have to hotwire them.  Maybe one of the EIC guys was going to see/spy on James and Winter, who was not drunk of her ass, confronted him, threatened to rouse the neighborhood thugs against him and he panicked and killed her.  At which point fortuitous event of stupidity.

[attica]

5 hours ago, johntfs said:

never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity.

Why not both? :)

[SuzWhat]

I loved every minute of this show even while I had trouble figuring out what happened.   I really appreciate the insights offered on this forum.    

[cpcathy]

If they eventually run out of plot they can just have James stomping around London in that flowing coat and tophat.

[coppersin]

Renewed, so the casting department needs to get to work since 70% of the characters have been killed off.

[justmehere]

Very happy it's been renewed.

[HotRats2112]

21 hours ago, cpcathy said:

If they eventually run out of plot they can just have James stomping around London in that flowing coat and tophat.

I think you mean "mumbling" around London.  Thank the Dude for closed captioning!  

[attica]

Yay on the renewal! More Regency 11-dimensional chess!

Fans of Hardy might be interested that PBS is airing his Wuthering Heights two-parter on 3/19 (or at least that's the schedule for my local station). Cathy is played by Charlotte Riley, aka his RL missus.  

[raven]

Yay on the renewal indeed!  Adventures in America maybe?  Hopefully we keep the oddball cast, too bad Strange got blown up, Jonathan Pryce being angry and evil was fun.

 

7 hours ago, attica said:

Fans of Hardy might be interested that PBS is airing his Wuthering Heights two-parter on 3/19

Thanks!

[refugee]

What an awesome period piece this has blossomed into. I just love the grittiness of it.

Delaney took down all his enemies, even one of my early favorites, Dumbarton. I wonder if a second season could ever top this? Except for the wounded things are pretty much wrapped up, right?

[justmehere]

A glimpse of Tom Hardy during the long wait for new episodes:

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/04/tom-hardy-sky-mobile-commerical-watch-1201800153/

Not completely off topic; they mention S2 of Taboo will likely air next year.

[RedHawk]

Just coming on to say that I enjoyed all the episodes so much, the series really grew on me. At first I was watching only from curiosity since "The Americans" wasn't back on yet. After episode 3, I was hooked and I've since re-watched all the episodes (except 2 which isn't on Sling for some reason so I'll have to pay iTunes or Amazon) and appreciate the characters, the scripts, the actors, the sets and scenery -- the entire world created in this series.

This finale (ep 8) was wonderful, how it all came together, especially James' ship sailing into the harbor and Brace saying, "It will happen." Then "We are Americans" and the final scene of the ship at sea, so beautiful, and well, thrilling! 

I'm the type who will watch an episode twice or even three times, and once I got into this how and could take in all the details I became so impressed with it. Glad to hear Season 2 will happen!

[lidarose9]

I recorded this and then forgot to watch it, so I am commenting late. Some random thoughts:

I kept thinking I'd quit watching and just delete, but then I'd keep watching. For one thing, it was very visually engaging, well composed. I was generally impressed with the effort taken to recreate the period accurately. The mud and filth and bad teeth, love it! A small nit-pick: they didn't really use the word "fuck" much back then. There were other curse words that were much more popular. 

I had the subtitles on the whole time, otherwise I'm sure I would have missed half of what was said. 

It would have been a good show for a drinking game. When we get a long shot of him riding along on his white horse and his big hat. When he grunts. When he speaks in his weird African tongue. 

I see where other people have mentioned TH's acting, how subtle he was -- well, that went right over my head, I'm afraid. To me he just always looked the same: kinda bored, kinda pissed off, kinda impatient. Except once there was a tear when he heard Zilpha died. -- Oh wait, was that a tiny moment of tenderness, at the end, when he looked down at the wounded Lorna?

That scene where Lorna was about to be raped in jail and she says she's been told to hold out for a better offer -- I burst out laughing. That one, she's got moxy.

I wish we'd seen more of Franka Potente than we did. She really was just a placeholder. "Winter's mother, runs whores, has a crush on Delaney." In fact, all the ladies wanted Our Hero. 

I was not clear about who all died in that shoot-out at the end, but I found myself wondering why the hell all these people were giving their lives to help Delaney. 

My big disappointment was that we were given no answers at all really in the season finale. We still don't know what happened to Delaney in Africa nor what "special abilities" he has exactly, from where, how far do these extend, what's the story behind them, etc. The deal with the mother, did she really try to kill him? What's with all the flashbacks? And why is he so intent on owning Nootka Sound? 

Really, what was the point of the sister, beyond giving us the chance to see her brutalized and then take satisfaction in her revenge. Unless she somehow shows up in season 2, she really served no purpose at all.

I really enjoyed the other secondary characters, so many terrific actors, very colorful characters.

I will watch season 2, but I hope we get some answers. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by lidarose9

[rove4]

On ‎3‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 9:28 AM, attica said:

Fans of Hardy might be interested that PBS is airing his Wuthering Heights two-parter on 3/19 (or at least that's the schedule for my local station). Cathy is played by Charlotte Riley, aka his RL missus.  

Oh, thanks.  I'll be watching out for this on my local PBS station.  I finally got around to watching the last three episodes and remembered why I loved this show so much. I could watch Tom Hardy all day.   In fact, right after finishing Taboo I started watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix because he appears in season two.

I'm glad that the show was renewed though I'm torn about losing London as a setting.  I felt so sorry for Brace being left behind. Likely he was too old to survive the journey but Delaney could've been a bit nicer.  That's not his style though, I know, I know.

I'm glad that Godfrey made it onto the ship. I thought it was sweet the way he was providing comfort to a possibly dying Cholmondeley.  I hope the chemist survives though because I really enjoyed the actor. And why bother to drag his body onto the ship if he's just going to die anyway?  So I have hope that he'll live.

I'm less invested in whether or not Lorna lives. I just never got why she was in the story in the first place.  If she dies then maybe Delaney will run into a native woman once they get to wherever they're going. Someone who can bring her own brand of mysticism to add to his own.

I did feel badly for Zilpha and feel that her character got shortchanged by her sudden swan dive off a bridge.  She's really the only character that changed/evolved in any appreciable way over the course of the season. Everyone else ended pretty much as they began. Zilpha, OTOH, went from the frosty woman in a bad marriage who does everything to keep up appearances to a woman who has had the last straw, throws all convention out the window to murder her abusive husband and run across town to her taboo lover.  I realize hers and Delaney's incestuous relationship was always doomed but it would have been interesting to see what sort of darkness a newly freed Zilpha could get up to. 

And now back to Peaky Blinders!

[planetofapes]

Loved this series (am late to the party) but I did feel disappointed after Zilpha died.  Um, now there is no real "taboo" going on with him is there..??

Tom Hardy = sex on a stick.  I didn't realise this until watching this series.

[cpcathy]

I've decided when I die and go to heaven, I want Tom Hardy to greet me. OK, Tom Hardy and Chris Martin.

[Parroty Voice]

Why does James not finish off Brace once he's discovered how his father was murdered? What has that to do with how his sister kills her husband and why the "I thought we were one person but we're not. We're two." James has a code to honor his father and do right by him regarding the property. Possession used figuratively and literally in terms of the relationships taboo. But it seems the dark arts just facilitate dark deeds. The sister works only on a symbolic level not a really developed psychologically real character beyond self serving malevolence. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Taboo received two Emmy nominations:

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

[Haleth]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

What the heck does this mean?

[RedHawk]

On 7/14/2017 at 10:39 AM, Haleth said:

What the heck does this mean?

I thought the same thing! So, maybe OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A LEAD ROLE would be the dragons in Game of Thrones?

[justmehere]

Not exactly media, but I decided to re-watch S1 on Hulu, and they had a brief intro that said Taboo returns in 2019.

Sigh.

[RedHawk]

2 hours ago, justmehere said:

Not exactly media, but I decided to re-watch S1 on Hulu, and they had a brief intro that said Taboo returns in 2019.

Sigh.

Nooo. Too long. 

[msrachelj]

On 2/2/2018 at 11:03 PM, RedHawk said:

Nooo. Too long. 

what? why so long, this isn't game of thrones! and i think they are too long between seasons also. wtf!?

[justmehere]

I'm guessing it's about Tom Hardy's schedule with other projects as well as Steven Knight's, who also does Peaky Blinders.

[justmehere]

The first couple episodes of S1 have popped up in my DVR schedule in the wee hours of Thursday morning, March 29 (Wednesday night), back-to-back beginning at 1:59 a.m. Pacific Time, if anyone is interested in a re-watch. That's all it lists so far, so no idea about further airings. (Maybe weekly? I just set it to catch repeats.)

[johntfs]

On 7/1/2017 at 11:30 AM, Parroty Voice said:

Why does James not finish off Brace once he's discovered how his father was murdered?

Because he knew that Brace acted out of misguided love to end James' father's pain.  James couldn't quite forgive Brace, but knew he didn't deserve revenge so he did the best he could.

[justmehere]

Maybe two more seasons... or not:

https://deadline.com/2019/08/taboo-2-more-seasons-season-2-3-none-tom-hardy-fx-chief-says-1202663165/ 

[RedHawk]

Ah well, if it never happens, the first season was marvelous just as it was.

Edited August 7, 2019 by RedHawk

[RedHawk]

If anyone is still following this in hope, it looks like Season 2 will happen. 

This is the solid latest news I can find. Pretty good article.

Edited May 27, 2021 by RedHawk

[RedHawk]

Good news: Knight and Tom Hardy plan to film Season 2 and say that six episodes are already written.

Bad news: Filming won't begin until "early 2023".

https://www.thetealmango.com/entertainment/taboo-season-2-is-finally-on-the-cards/

Keeping hope alive.

Edited November 18, 2021 by RedHawk